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Virgil van Dijk ensured he celebrated with Liverpool's youth players following the Reds' dramatic victory over Burnley on Sunday. Arne Slot's team narrowly edged past the Championship promotion winners at Turf Moor.
A handball from Hannibal Mejbri resulted in the defending Premier League title holders being awarded a crucial late spot-kick, which Mohamed Salah confidently converted. Whilst Van Dijk would naturally have wanted to celebrate with his senior colleagues, he took time to acknowledge another Liverpool squad.
An under-13 Reds team participated in the Van Dijk Legacy Tournament at his former club Willem II and successfully claimed the silverware. They overcame Manchester City in the semi-final stage before defeating Feyenoord in the showpiece final.
Emerging from Turf Moor, Van Dijk was seen making a FaceTime call to the youngsters to offer his congratulations. The tournament occurred during the same weekend it was announced that the Netherlands international would have a stand dedicated to him at his former club's youth academy.
Following the announcement, he commented: "It makes me incredibly proud that the stand at the youth academy is named after me. Willem II played an important role in my life and in my development as a young player.
"That this is now being recognized in this way means a great deal to me and my family. It's a very special tribute, and I appreciate the warmth and connection I still feel with the club."
Willem II's general manager, Merijn Goris, stated: "Virgil means so much to Willem II and to our youth academy. We wanted to give him something lasting.
"Virgil is the perfect example of what hard work and perseverance can lead to. With this tribute, we show our youth players that dreams are achievable."
Despite celebrating with Liverpool's youngsters, Van Dijk was still thrilled for his team. After Liverpool's victory at Burnley, he commented: "We obviously try to break teams down. We had to be patient and be ready whenever we lost the ball that we're ready to defend the counters.
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"We kept looking for the goal and for the opportunities. We created some good opportunities, not many clear-cut chances. But I think it was a well-deserved win. But if I'm Burnley, it's never nice to concede a penalty.
"But it was a penalty and Mo slotted it perfectly. Mo is a world-class player and we know he can deliver and step up in these moments as he has done so many times.
"But today it was key to not get frustrated, keep trying and find the space in between the lines to create opportunities. A well-deserved win, it could have been a draw."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
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